International Economics Commons^™

Broken Asset Bubbles: The Factors Affect Japan's Economy From Prosperity To Decline, Mark Yang

Empirical Economic Bulletin, An Undergraduate Journal

Japan was in the most prosperous period of the economy in the 1980s, during which the GDP growth rate of Japan was high-speed, and the economic scale of Japan was second only to the United States in the world. Japan became the second largest economy in the world. But the boom was the unsustainable illusion of a bubble economy of rising house and stock prices. In the early 1990s, the collapse of Japanese real estate and stock market prices severely affected the Japanese economy, leaving many banks and companies heavily indebted. Japan's economy fell into a decade-long stagnation known as …

An Empirical Analysis Of The Status Of Income Inequality New England In 2022, Aidan Wilkinson

Empirical Economic Bulletin, An Undergraduate Journal

This paper investigates the status of income inequality within the New England states in 2022. The empirical analysis conducted within this paper uses a similar model within Fadi Fawaz et al. for high income countries to analyze and predict the Gini coefficient within the six New England States. More specifically, the model that is tested analyzes monthly unemployment rate, the labor force participation rate, welfare spending, and the top 1% wealth distribution. The results show that Rhode Island and Maine Gini indexes could only be described by the top 1% wealth distribution and welfare spending, respectively. We also find that …

Capital Flows And Corruption On Southeast And East Asia’S Economic Growth: A Panel Data Analysis, Tithvitou Teng

Empirical Economic Bulletin, An Undergraduate Journal

This paper investigates the role of capital flows both from internal and external sources on economic growth, as well as the main social obstacle factor to growth, corruption. The paper attains this by conducting panel data analysis for Southeast and East Asian countries from 2005-2022. Sources of capital flows are divided into external sources, i.e. foreign direct investment (FDI) and personal remittance, and internal sources, i.e. domestic bank credit and stock market capitalization. The results show that corruption hinders economic growth and only some sources of capital have a positive impact on the economy while the effect of other sources …

A Cross-Section Analysis Of Factors Affecting Interstate 11 Migration In The United States, Kasey Thomas

Empirical Economic Bulletin, An Undergraduate Journal

This paper investigates the factors influencing interstate migration in the United States of America. This study incorporates political affiliations and income and property tax policy into an existing migration determinants model. This is done to examine the influence of policy or potential future policies on an individual’s decision-making in addition to household factors. The greatest factors influencing an individual's decision to move are the average January temperature, the income tax rate, and the number of hazardous waster sites in the state.

Hitting The Books: An Empirical Analysis Of The Effect Of Education Expenditure On Gdp Per Capita And Economic Growth, Matt Simmons

Empirical Economic Bulletin, An Undergraduate Journal

This paper investigates the link between education spending in Mexico and Central American countries and illegal immigration to the United States. Despite challenges like poverty and governance issues, these nations experience significant migration to the U.S., underscoring the need for deeper insights. Analyzing economic motivations and migration costs, the study emphasizes education expenditure's role in economic growth. Through empirical analysis, it highlights the importance of addressing root causes and offers policy recommendations. Overall, this research contributes to understanding the intricate relationship between education, immigration, and economic development.

Hosting Mega Events Impact On Gdp Growth: A Panel Data Analysis, Silas Pearce

Empirical Economic Bulletin, An Undergraduate Journal

This paper investigates the impact of hosting “mega events” such as the Olympics on a country’s GDP growth. The study incorporates information on the country’s factors of economic development. Spillovers will be modeled through the state of the global economy by using controls such as countries that did not host mega events. The results show that countries that host the Olympics do not see any extra GDP growth than those that did not host an event.

Hdi And Standard Of Living: A Panel Data Analysis Of Latin America, Matthew Susich

Empirical Economic Bulletin, An Undergraduate Journal

This paper investigates the correlation between the Human Development Index and other significant measures of standard of living. The study incorporates data for upper- and middle-income countries in Latin America (Mexico, Costa Rica, Columbia, Peru, Uruguay, Brazil, Paraguay, Guatemala, Jamaica, Belize, and Bolivia) surrounding standard of living, including GDP per capita, public spending on education, public spending on health, GNI per capita, unemployment, infant mortality, and inflation. The conclusions from this study are drawn from regression analysis and tests of correlation between the Human Development Index and alternative measures of standard of living. The results show that unemployment and infant …

The Causal Nexus Between Government Expenditure On Education And Individual Savings Behavior In Argentina, Amanda Spielman

Empirical Economic Bulletin, An Undergraduate Journal

This paper investigates the possibility of interdependence between education and savings by looking at the relationship between a country’s government expenditure on education and the saving rate. Public education expenditure has been studied as an explanatory variable for economic growth, but similar studies determining its impact on household savings behavior are lacking. This research looks to determine Granger Causality using the Vector Error Correction Model between this measure of the quality of education and savings rate for Argentina. The results show bidirectional causality between the savings rate and government expenditure on education, as well as unidirectional causality with government expenditure …

A Panel Data Analysis Of The Effect Of Corruption And Macroeconomic Factors On Inequality And Poverty In Latin America, Annie Mcdonald

Empirical Economic Bulletin, An Undergraduate Journal

This paper investigates how a country’s income inequality and poverty are affected by corruption, and other economic indicators. The study’s purpose is to find which countries harbor corruption that causes more inequality and poverty and if high or low levels of macroeconomic factors, like unemployment for example, cause an increase in inequality/poverty as well. The panel data will include 11 countries located in Latin America and it will cover a ten-year period (2012-2021). After running six regressions, the results showed there were some differences from other papers. It was found that certain countries exhibit unique challenges that contribute to their …

Shifting The Ice: Analyzing The Impact Of The 2013 Nhl Cba To The Competitive Balance Of The League, Ryan Lacy

Empirical Economic Bulletin, An Undergraduate Journal

This paper investigates whether the 2013 National Hockey League (NHL) Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), which hardened the existing salary cap, increased team revenue sharing, and instituted additional restrictions on player contracts, results in a more competitively balanced league. The study incorporates an OLS regression and Quantile regression to examine the impact of the 2013 CBA on the competitive balance of the league. The results show that the changes allow for a dispersion of talent, specifically offensive talent, and demonstrated a positive relationship between spending and points obtained by teams in the top 25% of the league. Conversely, teams that did …

The Causes All Time High Chronic Homelessness: A Panel Analysis, Robert Knight

Empirical Economic Bulletin, An Undergraduate Journal

This paper investigates what economic indicators affect the rate of homelessness in the United States. By combining both the personal issues of the homeless people themselves along with economic structural issues in U.S. this study finds what the largest determinants of chronic homelessness. The study includes variables such as median house prices from the Case Shiller Index, the poverty rate, unemployment rate, health care expenditures per capita and demographics to find what causes a higher homeless rate. The data used to determine the conclusions will be pulled from twenty different major U.S. metropolitan cities to showcase how different economic variables …

Does Money Really Buy Success? Empirical Analysis Of Money Spent Effect On English Premier League Team’S Performances/Success: A Panel Data Analysis, Barnaby Brandon

Empirical Economic Bulletin, An Undergraduate Journal

This paper investigates the empirical relationship between the wages of English Premier League teams and their success. This study incorporates information from the league regarding each team’s spending and the performance of each of these teams every year. Each team has a specific spending structure based on the magnitude of the club and ability of the players. The research will look at all teams that have stayed in the premier league for the past 10 years as some teams come in and out of the Premier League with the relegation and promotion system. The results will show whether having higher …

The Role Of Institutional Quality Factors On Inequality In Upper-Middle Income Countries In Latin America, Alexia Brandao

Empirical Economic Bulletin, An Undergraduate Journal

This paper investigates the influence that institutional quality factors have on the power or spread of inequality across low-income countries, as opposed to high income countries. As such, an empirical study and analysis will be conducted to measure the impact of the following institutional quality factors: control of corruption, government effectiveness, political stability and absence of violence/terrorism, regulatory quality, rule of law, and voice and accountability. Specifically, cross-sectional or panel data from the World Bank will be utilized to look at upper-middle income nations in Latin America. The factors will be simultaneously measured against the Gini Coefficient. These countries include …

Time Series Analysis Of The Impact Of Climate Change On The Rocky Mountain Ski Industry, Charlotte Christo

Empirical Economic Bulletin, An Undergraduate Journal

This paper investigates the correlation between climate change and the ski industry. This study will incorporate the annual snowfall and mean temperature and annual visitations to American ski resorts. The model studied will investigate if the rising temperatures affect snow fall totals in popular ski areas as well the visitor amounts per season. This model will be used to run a multiple regression that will account for various controls including the distribution of snow fall throughout the season.

How Unsdgs Are Reflected In Folklore, Jacob Mann

Empirical Economic Bulletin, An Undergraduate Journal

This paper investigates the relationship between the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals in a country and the prevalence of those goals in that country’s folklore. The study incorporates folklore collected into an aspect-based sentiment analyzer to examine the prevalence of, and attitude towards various aspects of the text. A combination of ConceptNet and the widely available Natural Language Toolkit is implemented to retrieve polarity scores related to key aspects of the texts. The results indicate that there are correlations between the attitude towards a theme in folklore, and the attitudes towards that theme in a country. JEL

Economic Peaks, An Analysis Of Financial & Real Estate Speculations In The Top 5 U.S Cities, Nicholas M. Basley

Empirical Economic Bulletin, An Undergraduate Journal

Economic Peaks conducts a comprehensive analysis of financial and real estate speculations in the United States, more specifically the top five cities per population in the United States. This study spans the period from 2000 to 2023, utilizing time series data to reveal economic trends and identify potential structural breaks during recession periods. By employing advanced statistical methods, the research aims to discern distinctive patterns in the housing and financial markets of each of the major cities, unveiling the presence of unsustainable price appreciation and the factors contributing to its emergence. This study seeks to offer valuable insights into the …

Beyond The Arc: Investigating The Impact Of 3-Point Shots On Nba Revenue: An Empirical Analysis, Cameron Bolduc

Empirical Economic Bulletin, An Undergraduate Journal

This paper investigates the impact of Stephen Curry’s revolution of the three-point shot and its impact on NBA’s revenues. The study will incorporate the five years prior to Stephen Curry’s back-to-back MVP’s and the five years after those MVP’s. The model will examine three-point makes and percentage per game, along with a player’s effective field goal percentage, as well as playoff wins and attendance in home games. The study’s results showed that in the five years after Stephen Curry changed the game and won his MVPs, the three-point shot was a big driver in a team’s revenue. These results do …

Latin American Participation In The Current Process Of Economic Globalization, Sullivan D. Padgett

Journal of Global Awareness

From World War II to the present, Latin America has participated in the current process of economic globalization to varying degrees. The Washington Consensus of the late twentieth century supplanted the region’s earlier model of state-led development and increased its participation in the global capitalist regime. However, Latin America has shown minimal participation in the current process of economic globalization since the late 2000s and, instead, espouses regionalization. Nevertheless, regionalization has proven to be an arduous undertaking in Latin America, especially with China’s increasing regional influence. Variations of benefits are discussed, and recommendations are offered. While the future of Latin …

Financial Literacy And Aspirations: Experimental Evidence From Eastern Uganda, Ester Agasha

Master's Theses

Financial literacy and the cultivation of aspirations are pivotal in empowering individuals and fostering economic growth, particularly within disadvantaged com munities. Although prior research has extensively analyzed the individual effects of financial education and motivational interventions on economic behaviors, there is less clarity on how the synergy between them can collectively impact the socioe conomic status of individuals in developing economies, especially women. Through randomized control experiment(RCT), this study explored the effectiveness of two interventions; 1) a financial literacy digital gaming application and, 2) an aspirations intervention (a short video documentary and a follow-up curriculum) in not only enhancing financial …

Can Aspiration And Financial Literacy Interventions Relieve Internal Constraints? Evidence From Uganda And India, Veronika Divis

Master's Theses

Can aspiration and financial literacy interventions relieve internal constraints? We address this question through a novel experiment in Uganda and India, using 617 participants in 89 already existing borrowing groups of microfinance institutions. We carry out aspiration and financial literacy treatments as well as a combined treatment group which received both treatments to measure effects on aspirations, hope, agency, and pathway indices. Results show that receiving the aspirations treatment led to 0.34, 0.42, 0.18, and 0.40 standard deviation increases in aspirations, agency, pathways, and aspirational hope, respectively. The game and combined treatment groups also showed positive effects but lacked statistical …

The Impact Of Refractive Error Correction On Harvest Productivity In The Guatemalan Coffee Sector, Bryce C. Everett

Master's Theses

Providing refractive error correction has the potential to bolster productivity within developing countries. Current literature is in agreement that interventions targeting those with uncorrected visual impairment can realize benefits in various sectors, with particular regard to agriculture. The design of this experiment attempts to derive the intent-to-treat (ITT) effect stemming from the provision of glasses to coffee harvesters in Guatemala. Methodology incorporates two distinct approaches: an ANCOVA model with basic controls and a fixed effects model with a control for farm-specific harvest trends. With daily harvest weight observations serving as a proxy for productivity, and a sample of 321 participants …

Gender Gaps And Economic Growth: Why Haven't Women Won Globally (Yet)?, Patrick Agte, Orazio Attanasio, Pinelopi K. Goldberg, Aishwarya Lakshmi Ratan, Rohini Pande, Michael Peters, Charity Moore, Fabrizio Zilibotti

Discussion Papers

Does economic growth close labor market-linked gender gaps that disadvantage women? Conversely, do gender inequalities in the labor market impede growth? To inform these questions, we conduct two analyses. First, we estimate regressions using data on gender gaps in a range of labor market outcomes from 153 countries spanning two decades (1998-2018). Second, we conduct a systematic review of the recent economics literature on gender gaps in labor markets, examining 16 journals over 21 years. Our empirical analysis demonstrates that growth is not a panacea. While economic gender gaps have narrowed and growth is associated with gender gap closures specifically …

Tax Preferences: A Numerical Exercise, Isaac Babatunde Olatunji

Major Papers

Tax preference focuses on individuals' perception and choice regarding specific tax policies or structure. It examines the extent to which individuals favor certain tax provisions, rates, or exemptions over others. Scholars and researchers have extensively examined tax preference from various perspectives. I performed a numerical exercise on one agent model and two agent model where agents have preferences over consumption, labor supply and tax preferences (dislike of the labor income tax). Under the one agent model there exist one household utility maximization problem and under the two agent model there exist two households with low productive ability and high productive …

Income Differences Among Nations: Measuring The Effects Of Human Capital On Total Factor Productivity (Tfp), Ashley Tarrolly

CSB and SJU Distinguished Thesis

In the past two centuries, long-term economic growth has been defined by The Great Divergence, where the gap of income distribution has widened as a result of some nations experiencing modern economic growth while others have remained stagnant in their economic well-being. This panel data research examines differences in income across countries by applying development accounting to analyze differences in per capita gross domestic product (GDP) and predict each country’s total factor productivity (TFP). Data from the Penn World Tables were collected and categorized into groups based on GDP per capita to create a sample of 144 countries in 10-year …

Community Development In Stann Creek, Belize, Connor O'Neill

Economics Undergraduate Honors Theses

This research attempts to understand the inner workings of community development by taking part in ongoing development projects in Belize. Through collaboration with existing government entities, we took part in meetings, surveys, and site visits to gather the data necessary for the development projects. These projects consisted of finding cost of production, collecting market research, and constructing business plans. During our time, we experienced multiple difficulties similar to those that developers consistently encounter. Ultimately, we gained valuable insight into procedures involved in community development, as well as being able to aid in ongoing development work.

Economic Anomalies Following The Handover Of Hong Kong, Nathan Martin

Economics Undergraduate Honors Theses

This paper seeks to examine and provide a possible explanation for economic anomalies in Hong Kong following its handover to China. Hong Kong was on a 99-year lease to the United Kingdom from China before being handed back over July 1^st, 1997. Due to the “one country, two systems” policy espoused in the handover agreement that was to be implemented for fifty years, this event marks a rare natural experiment of a peaceful regime change without a significant change in governance. This paper seeks to understand the impact of the act of regime change on selected key macroeconomic …

How Do Immigration And Technological Growth Affect One Another? Providing Guiding Principles For Policymakers, Nate Karren

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

The relationship between immigration and technological growth is more nuanced than a simple statement of positive or negative correlation. How one affects the other varies depending on the skill level of the immigrant and the field where they work. Conclusions drawn by the literature form patterns that can be used to best understand the relationship between immigration and technology. High-skilled immigration boosts technological development through a complementary relationship, but low-skilled immigration can be a complement or a substitute with technological growth depending on the sector. Policymakers interested in promoting long-term economic growth through technological growth should have a clear picture …

Essays On Trade Policy, Ward Reesman

All Dissertations

This dissertation consists of two essays on international trade and trade policy, focusing on a quantitative evaluation of the causes and consequences of trade barriers and economic integration. In the first essay, I examine the role of a widely-used discriminatory trade barrier in shaping dynamic trade patterns of exporters across a range of affected and unaffected export markets. In the next chapter, I explore the heterogeneous economic determinants impacting the formation of economic integration agreements among countries, paying specific attention to the role of bilateral migration flows.

The first chapter estimates the dynamic trade effects of temporary trade barriers (TTBs), …

A Red Awakening: An Analysis Of China’S Quest For Global Dominance Through Economic Alternative Warfare Methods, Sarah Beddingfield

Senior Honors Theses

In the 2023 annual meeting of China’s parliament, Chinese President Xi made it clear to his political leaders and the world that he was preparing for war. This should come as no surprise after analysis of China's grand strategy points clearly to the intent to surpass the U.S. as the premier global superpower in all respects. China has been building towards this goal for years through untraditional methods of warfare, forcing the national security community to reevaluate its own strategy and assess the Chinese threat through a different lens. This thesis seeks to address one specific area in which China …

Navigating The Threat Posed By The Chinese Communist Party, Adam Opp

Helm's School of Government Conference - American Revival: Citizenship & Virtue

For decades, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the economic growth of China has become a threat to the United States. Beginning in 1978, the CCP issued a series of economic, market-oriented reforms which led to a period of economic growth and productivity increase in China. The CCP turned to diplomacy with the United States and other nations to increase foreign investment and implemented the Belt and Road initiative. The impressive scale of Chinese economic growth poses an economic and hegemonic threat to the United States, as China’s economy is projected to outpace the United States and the CCP has …